Nike’s Use of Social Media

By: Ryan Etter

Generally, sports are a social activity. With Nike being such a large sports company, then, it’s  a natural fit for them to touch base with their customers on different social media networks. Nike excels ahead of basically all other competitors (such as Adidas, Under Armour etc) in social media marketing. Their ads and commercials catch people’s attention and when people see the “Swoosh” they recognize it as Nike, which is incredibly important to establishing brand loyalty. This is why they have a leg up against competitors.

Nike utilizes the major social networks to its advantage by tapping into the core of our generation. Social media is such a big aspect of our everyday lives and Nike recognizes that. By making themselves available on different social networks, Nike’s marketers can continuously market their products without spending millions of dollars on TV ads. Just by posting a video, millions of people can view and share it, thus spreading awareness of their brand name and products. Furthermore, not only does Nike market online, but they also interact with people by responding to tweets. By using this marketing strategy, they are more involved with potential customers; this is very important because it impacts the consumer’s purchase decision. In my personal opinion, I’d appreciate a company that engages with fans more than one that doesn’t.

Nike is a role model for other companies that are active on the major social media networks. I believe other companies should follow in their footsteps if they are to compete at the Nike’s level. Social media are so important for companies to engage in because they are becoming more and more popular each day. By promoting their ad campaigns online it allows more eyes to view them, thus increasing overall brand awareness.

31 thoughts on “Nike’s Use of Social Media

  1. Ryan MacLeod April 16, 2015 / 12:45 pm

    Social media is definitely a contributor to a successful business these days. I think Nike does an incredible job of posting videos and pictures of new products and athletes using their new products. I follow a few athletes on instagram just to see what they are wearing and if any new items are set to be released. Their marketing videos are always attractive and cool too. They did a great job teasing the release of the new AirMax sneaker, as well as the new Flyknit shoes that were just recently released. Other companies can learn a lot from the impressive job Nike does.

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  2. David Cravotta April 16, 2015 / 2:21 pm

    Nike is known to be one of the most innovative companies out there. Social media is a huge contributor to how well business can perform and interact with their customers now a days. I’ve seen quite a few Nike ads and they always appear to give off the feeling that they’re technologically advanced. Seeing that as a customer really can make you want to purchase an item from Nike seeing that their “ahead of their time.” Reasoning for that is because everyone either loves to have the best new thing or is always in search of the newest thing. Especially using the internet, it allows Nike to reach a wider audience with its products.

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  3. Andrew Arcidi April 16, 2015 / 2:47 pm

    I agree, Nike always has a way to make their products stand out as more technologically advanced. The legendary Swoosh symbol is known around the world and once you see it you know it’s Nike. With celebrities always sporting their products Nike is always ahead in the game. They also have the Jordan and Lebron brands that people go crazy for. I think Nike is really known for good products and good style.

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  4. John Vallerand April 16, 2015 / 2:48 pm

    It’s interesting how Nike likes to advertise to its consumer base. I personally am a long time Nike apparel fan myself, everything from shoes, shorts, shirts, and even socks. I like the products Nike produces and how they can be used everyday as casual apparel. I see their ads all over the Internet and on social media constantly. So I’d have to agree with what you mention, that Nike reaches a lot of its customers through the internet because as we all know everyone is constantly online and looking for things to buy. Another marketing aspect I have seen Nike do in the past along with TV ads and mailings is their sponsors through different sports teams. This is useful because when customers see their favorite teams using Nike products it’s going to make them want to buy into the product.

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  5. Mattia Lanzi April 17, 2015 / 2:02 am

    I think that nike is known around the world especially for commercial on social media. Inn todays society social media are the most efficient way to promote your product with a cheap price. I think that nike does a fantastic job with that. I am a nike fan and i follow it on Instagram and twitter so I’m always update with new products. I am also following athletes that has nike as a sponsor, so anytime i see my favorite athlete wearing nike, i fell like that i want to buy that product.

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  6. Patrick Saunders April 17, 2015 / 6:36 pm

    Nike, in so many aspects continues to be the “Elite” company that we all love. A major reason for their success has to be their marketing, especially through social media. When you have such great athletes such as Michael Jordan and Lebron James representing your brand it only helps Nike stand out from its competitors. Every time i look on or update any social media account i can always seem to find something on Nike and have always been impressed. I feel that they do a great job of keeping of with “Trends” so to speak and always can get your attention. Overall, I am really looking forward to how Nike progresses in the future through social media.

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  7. Yafen Liu April 19, 2015 / 1:51 am

    Interesting article. In sports industry, Nike is a giant. Nike knows how to attract customers among competitors. As the growing of Internet, social media is everywhere, and it becomes an increasingly popular marketing method. By using social media, Nike not only improves its brand awareness, but also facilitates the process of customer’s decision-making. As a result, Nike will be more and more appealing among customers.

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  8. Zi Wang April 20, 2015 / 5:15 am

    I think that Nike choose a good way that is different from other sports’ companies like Adidas, Pump etc. I support that Nike use social media to expand and do their business. Because current most young people learn information by using social media like Facebook, blog etc rather than TV, magazine and newspaper, so I think that social media should be the most effectiveness’ tool for marketing strategy.

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  9. Billy Muldoon April 20, 2015 / 4:33 pm

    I absolutely agree that Nike is one of the top competitors, if not the top competitor in social media marketing. Their advertisements are known globally and have surpassed the odds of the marketing world. By having such big-time athletes and celebrities sponsored by Nike, as well as appearing in various advertisements, consumers will want Nike’s products that much more. With the social media becoming such a large part of our lives, Nike makes sure to use this revolutionary change to their advantage by constantly updating their customers on new products, always leaving them to want more.

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  10. Sam Ventresca April 21, 2015 / 4:02 pm

    I agree as well, if the Nike’s competitors don’t utilize social media it will hurt them. Nike’s advertiement’s are all over social media and the nike swoosh sign does an excelent job of catching one’s eye. Even though Nike has a leg up on their competitors they still need to continue with their social media to continue with their succces.

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  11. Amanda McKenzie April 21, 2015 / 4:16 pm

    I also agree that Nike is easily one of the top competitors and the use of social media makes them even stronger. In any type of business today, social media is a huge aspect and the fact Nike is using it is great!

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  12. Sasha Letourneau April 21, 2015 / 5:03 pm

    Personally I think Nike does a great job of advertising. You see them everywhere. They are on billboards, on peoples feet and on TV. When you go online, especially on social media, there is always an ad for NIKE on the side bar. The company definitely utilizes the social media pages for key marketing and they do a great job!

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  13. Yuxuan Wang April 21, 2015 / 7:18 pm

    We all know brand awareness is very important to a firm, especially for a big company, just like Nike. Nike ‘s use of social media is a very good strategy, which keeps their strong competition. I am a fan with Nike, because they do have good products, and their advertisement is excellent in China, you can see Nike’s Advs. everywhere. Everyone knows Nike is a very good brand, that is what Nike wants. Also, that is the function of social media.

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  14. william matthews April 22, 2015 / 2:03 am

    Nikes performance with online media has been amazing using many types of different Marketing Strategies. They realize that this generation is adapting into a more Media-friendly generation which reaches a much bigger market. Nike shows famous athletes wearing their material on site such as Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and even on offline things such as billboards. Nike gets their brand out there of the “Swoosh” which I thinks help build brand equity. Another aspect Nike has touched upon is tying there Brand Name into Major sports teams to reach a larger Target Market.

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  15. Brandon Gobbi April 22, 2015 / 8:52 pm

    I agree, Nike is easily the leading competitor when it comes to athletic apparel. They also do a great job with their social media campaigns. Nike tweets periodically about their products and even tweets back to customers which shows that they have good customer service. They have 4.8 million followers on Twitter which shows that millions of customers see new products or deals in seconds.

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  16. Kendra Van Pelt April 25, 2015 / 9:36 pm

    Nike has very effectively integrated itself into the social media world. It is on every major user platform and because of its superb marketing tactics, has found an extremely effective way to market to its consumers. Nike has perfected the way into reach out to consumers via social media and make them interested in their products – possibly to the extent of interacting with them – not just viewing an image or text, and then moving on to the next thing. I am personally much more aware of current Nike advertisements verus other similar computers, like Adidas or Puma. The company has also done a fabulous job at relating to the everyday consumer – a growing trend amongst many big time athletic brands. Nike recently just came out with a ad under their branch, Nike Women, which focuses on the inner thoughts of four women in a work-out scene (at the gym, running a 5K). All their thoughts are pretty negative or pessimistic to begin with, but by the end, they slowly begin to believe in themselves. By splattering this commercial across all their social media channels, Nike is able to reach thousands of people – the majority of them being everyday, typical consumers.

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  17. Kaitlyn Magnano April 26, 2015 / 5:39 pm

    I agree with what Ryan that social media is becoming much more popular and that companies should follow in Nikes footsteps. Nike is increasing overall brand awareness by marketing their company with online ads and social media. Other companies should definitely follow in Nike’s footsteps and put money towards online ads rather than TV ads because social media is becoming so powerful. Nike also interacting with customers through twitter is a positive because it shows that they care about there customers and will therefore give them even more loyal customers than other companies may have.

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  18. Keelyn Crowe April 27, 2015 / 8:07 pm

    I think nike will and continue to be one of the leading sports brands because of its strong brand regknktion, ads and the huge sponsors in which they have. Nike also likes too innovate with bringing in new products and having products that are well made and nice to look at. For me nike is usually one of the first brands I think of when deciding to buy shoes or sports attire. Although they have competitors like under armour, lulu lemon and Adidas they still remain at the top and I think the other brands should try what Nike is doing because it’s clearly working.

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  19. Katherine Durant April 27, 2015 / 10:43 pm

    Nike does things most other brands aren’t capable of doing, so it seems. The way in which they market their products and product line are very unique. Somehow over the years they have been able to become a super brand like we have never seen before. Not only is it working for them but the customers are definitely responding to this in a positive way. All of the moves Nike makes to market their products never seem to hurt them in the long run just continue to make them stronger.

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  20. Mackenzie Kilmartin April 27, 2015 / 11:49 pm

    I, like many other consumers and athletes, see Nike as a major competitor in the sports and apparel industry. Nike has branded the legendary “Swoosh” and “Just Do It” logo very successfully. While it has many other competitors like Adidas, Reebok, Under Armour, and more, I see Nike as one of the highest and most successful competitors. By using social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) Nike has no trouble keeping customers active and interested.

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  21. Meghan Saldutti April 28, 2015 / 12:41 am

    Nike has always had interesting and eyeopening commercials that have touched people in different ways. I do agree that Nike utilizes in nothing but positive ways to their consumers. By using social media they can connect to people all over the world to promote their products in different way especially to people in different countries where there are different demands for certain products. For example, Nike could have a social media account solely for the purpose of reaching customers in London and the account could be called “NikeLondon.”

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  22. Lauren Moran April 28, 2015 / 2:17 am

    I agree with Ryan. As a fellow Nike Instagram follower, I know this to be true. They use social media to post a picture which many people will see and then perhaps become interested in their product. I am a huge fan of Nike so speaking for myself, I know that I would be interested in what they have to offer and then wear their Swoosh with pride.

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  23. Patrick Breslin April 28, 2015 / 4:40 am

    Nike is no doubt a leader in social media marketing. They are always seen when scanning through social media sites. I believe there connection with professional athletes and campaigns to make the everyday person great has inspired many. This type of marketing allows Nike to reach a wide range of people in a short span of time. No doubt Nike will continue to be successful in this field and lead the social media marketing revolution.

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  24. Paige Gilbert April 28, 2015 / 3:01 pm

    I believe Nike will continue to be the leader in social media for promoting sports wear, because they are universally well known and pick the commercials to appeal to everybody. In their recent commercial seen on Hulu during commercials they focused towards women, they showed women doing yoga, running a marathon and a women at the gym feeling uncomfortable in the beginning but then conquering what she went their to achieve through motivation, all in Nike clothing. This is smart for social media advertising because with each show you choose to watch they have different commercials. Therefore Nike targets certain genders according to the show they are watching which I think is a great way to segment their markets.

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  25. Zachery Washington April 28, 2015 / 4:35 pm

    Social media is at the heart of our generation today. So much information can be dug up through past social media data. And so much new information is being generated everyday. Social media contains a lot of insight into the minds of a lot of consumers. If Nike were to be successful in efficiently using social media to advertise and use past media to improve upon current marketing strategies, they will see a lot of improvement.

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  26. Jimmy Clark April 28, 2015 / 7:21 pm

    With much of their potential audience being young adults and kids between the ages of 15-25, most are going to be on social media. With being a big fan of nike products I have observed on their marketing techniques and I have to say that they know what they’re doing. Also with the ability to share post’s with your friends gives them more exposure. When I see a new product it’s usually off their facebook, intsagram, or twitter page, so if they keep using these techniques I will be able to stay more informed and I know that the rest of the audience will.

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  27. Ariel Lobo April 29, 2015 / 12:21 am

    Nike might be the world’s most dominant industry in sportswear. With social media being a big part of most of everyone;s everyday lives I do not think they should invest a lot of their time in it. They are NIKE! The name and brand are already there and are already a powerhouse. Most teams around the world want Nike equipment and or sponsorship. They are a dominance already. If they were to focus a lot on social media however, they should stick to renown athletes wearing the equipment or clothing.

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  28. Ryan Zdanwich April 29, 2015 / 1:24 am

    The Nike company markets to our generation because they deal a lot with sports and our generation is the big sporting generation right now. Nike realizing that we spend much more time on our phones and social media rather than watching television is a huge step toward more success because it is a lot cheaper to advertise on social media than on television.

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  29. Kyle Jacobs May 7, 2015 / 6:52 pm

    Nike has clearly capitalized on the tools of social media. They enjoy the free advertising and being able to reach millions. This brings a new dimension to marketing as it becomes interactive between business and consumer. Nike has nailed the “ID” platform where they allow customers to customize their apparel to make it their own. Being able to reach these people through social media and spread the brand is a great to bounce back after some heavy criticism in the past about the company.

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  30. Lindsey Mattos May 7, 2015 / 9:30 pm

    Nike’s strong suit is definitely branding and brand awareness. I feel their sneakers are actually very uncomfortable for the most part, but people will keep buying them because the brand is perceived as cool. It makes sense that Nike is integrating Social Media and taking their already known brand where their target market is.

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  31. Alicia April 7, 2016 / 8:00 pm

    Nike has an excellent social media strategy, which is part of the reason why the company is so popular on and off line. They not only have a presence on every type of popular social media, but the company has multiple profiles on each platform that are tailored to the different markets they target. Nike has profiles for women, children, men, each sport they support, and the different types off products they offer. Nike’s ability to appeal to so many different markets is what makes the company’s success so terrific.

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